Media and crisis manager Stratos Safioleas judged last night’s destruction ‘unprecedented‘. Here, I have gathered together as many of the events as I could, listed in order of place: so far, Agrinio, Athens, Corfu, Herakleion, Patras, Thessaloniki and Volos. Moreover, I’ve grouped them by target as well: state/public/political property; banks; other commercial property; cultural venues; media organisations; personal private property; and other objects.
Still, there are many as-yet-undocumented incidents; there were at least 170 acts of destruction. I would be very grateful for any further information.
Summary of riots’ targets
Of the 52 targets in my records, I believe the rioters damaged or destroyed: 16 other commercial properties (shops/shopping centres, cafes, and a bookshop); 15 banks; 9 parliamentary/party/bureaucratic buildings; at least 4 pieces of police property (stations and vehicles); 3 cultural venues (historic cinemas); 2 public services (a metro station and a post office); 1 journalists’ office; at least 1 private car; and at least 1 German flag.
So, nearly a third of all targets were banks; indeed, more banks were targeted than government offices. (Technically, more commercial properties were targeted than banks; but banks are a single type of institution, whereas there are many different “commercial properties”.) The majority of targets were either banks, the politicians who support the banks, or the police who protect both the politicians and the banks.
Greek rioters did not target small businesses, and they did not loot desirable/saleable consumer goods. With much success (considering the floods of tear gas and outbursts of physical violence), they confronted the police; and they smashed the physical embodiments of the international banking industry and the Greek political classes, which threaten them and their families.
Agrinio
State/public/political property
In the small, western city of Agrinio, youths ‘smashed to pieces [έκαναν γιαλιά-καρφιά]‘ the office of the Minister for Development, Competitiveness and Shipping, Thanos Moraitis.
Athens
ITV News’ Martin Geissler observed ‘[m]assive destruction‘ in Greece’s capital, Athens; 170 banks, shops and cafes have been wrecked (even bus stops); there were 45 fires. Mercury News has a striking photo gallery of riots and fires.
Athens on fire. #12fgr http://t.co/mtOSLN6H—
Harry Koutsogiorgas (@hkoutso) February 12, 2012
Καίγονται κτήρια στην Σταδίου και στην Κοραη. http://t.co/F7FVJtZs—
η akoupook (@akoupook) February 12, 2012
State/public/political property
- Unknown persons attacked Acropolis police station with Molotov cocktails and stones.
- They did the same to Exarcheia police station.
- And (photo link) DIAS motorcycle police bikes were burned.
- Someone broke the windows of the post office on Ethnikis Amynis Street (see photo below).
- There were also reports of fires in the entrance to the Metro station at Syntagma; but that may have been a defensive fire rather than a destructive one.
Windows broken at post office Ethn. Amynis str. #skg #12fgr #greece #rbnews http://t.co/bbwEzCcE—
spyros gkelis (@northaura) February 12, 2012
Banks
- The Eurobank on the corner of Akadimias and Benaki was burned down.
- The Eurobank on Korai Street was burned down.
- The Marfin Bank on Athens Street was burned down.
- The Bank of Cyprus on Athens Street was burned out (see photo below); its roof collapsed.
- The Hellenic Post Bank (Ταχυδρομικό Ταμιευτήριο) on Athens Street was burned out; its roof collapsed.
- Alpha Bank at the junction of streets Pesmatzoglou and Panepistimiou was burned out.
- The Commercial Bank at the junction of Syggrou and Dionysiou Aeropagitou was burned out.
- There was a fire at the (bank and) headquarters of the National Bank on Aiolou.
- There was a fire at an unknown bank at the junction of Ippokratous and Akadimias.
- Attica Bank in Monastiraki Square was looted and burned (hat tip, Mr. P (@greenpickles36) for his first report).
- The Central Bank was renamed in graffiti, ‘the Bank of Berlin‘.
Mεγαλη φωτιά στην τράπεζα Κύπρου στο Μοναστηράκι τώρα #12fgr #rbnews http://t.co/RmYhZvSI—
Makis Sinodinos (@MakisSinodinos) February 12, 2012
In the 5th May 2010 riots, rioters petrol bombed Marfin Bank, and three workers burned to death inside. Last night, three more workers narrowly escaped the same fate. They had taken refuge in the second basement of Alpha Bank; but firefighters rescued (‘extricated [απεγκλώβισαν]‘).
They were truly, incredibly lucky:
The city centre was almost inaccessible for fire engines and ambulances because of improvised barricades, and the fire department made an appeal to the demonstrators to open the roads. Fire engines were attacked and two firefighters were wounded.
[Το κέντρο ήταν σχεδόν απρόσιτο για τα πυροσβεστικά οχήματα και τα ασθενοφόρα λόγω των αυτοσχέδιων οδοφραγμάτων, και η πυροσβεστική απηύθυνε έκκληση στους διαδηλωτές να ανοίξουν τους δρόμους. Πυροσβεστικά οχήματα δέχτηκαν επίθεση και δύο πυροσβέστες τραυματίστηκαν.]
RegularGrrrl called bullshit on that narrative though:
Greece head of police lies on MEGA #propaganda TV "Greeks didn't allow fire engines to pass to put out fires" such BULLS%$T – we were there!—
Grrrl in Athens (@RegularGrrrl) February 13, 2012
Other commercial property
Shops were looted and burned.
- Indeed, the (photo link) Atrium shopping centre at the junction of Xarilaou Trikoupi and Feidiou was reduced to a burned-out shell.
- Protesters burned the electronic goods shop Germanos (on Benaki).
- They burned the clothes shop Zara.
- They burned the Starbucks cafe between Panepistimiou Street and Syntagma Square [photo via S. Cosgrove (@s_cosgrove)].
- And they torched another shop on Korai Street as well.
- And yet another.
- There was also a fire at an unknown building on Euripidou.
- Evidently, one of the unknown looted buildings on Stadiou Street was Mark Aalen’s opticians (see photo in link).
- And one of the other unknown smashed/looted buildings elsewhere was Piacere (see photo in link).
- More or less shockingly, an antique gun and sword boutique (on Omonoia Square) was also looted last night (as it was on 8th December 2008). (Hat tip, Dimitris Vorris (@dimitrivorris) for one of the confirmations of the looting of the weapon shop.)
- Kosta Boda on Stadiou Street caught fire when the neighbouring building, the Attikon cinema, did.
- Similarly, the Asty cinema’s neighbouring cafe burned too.
- Apparently, one of the unknown burned buildings was a bookshop.
Cultural venues
- Rioters burned a neo-Classical cinema, the Attikon (see photo below), on Stadiou Street; even Marie Claire (@MarieClaire_gr) noticed.
- They also burned an underground cinema, the Asty, which the Gestapo had used as a torture chamber during the Nazi occupation of Greece in the Second World War.
- And the Apollo cinema ‘caught fire [πήρε φωτιά]‘.
burned attikon cinema #now #Greece #athens #syntagma #12fgr http://t.co/iEhPsY58—
Kostas Kallergis (@KallergisK) February 12, 2012
Media organisations
The Lambrakis Journalist Organisation (Δημοσιογραφικός Οργανισμός Λαμπράκη (ΔΟΛ)) was ‘looted [λεηλατημένο]‘ (photo link, hat tip Modestos Siotos (@modestospk)). This is particularly noteworthy because DOL produced a good record of many of last night’s episodes of looting, destruction and violence.
Personal private property
Cars were vandalised and burned.
Other objects
Protesters burned a German flag (see video below).
Corfu (Kerkyra)
State/public/political property
- In the western island of Corfu, more than 1,000 protesters ‘stormed [εισέβαλαν]‘, broke the doors down and ‘completely destroyed [καταστράφηκαν ολοσχερώς]‘ the office of PASOK MP Angela Gerekou/Gkerekou.
- They did the same to the office of (right-wing) former justice minister, ND MP Nikolaos Dendias; the protesters ‘turned [the offices] into a ‘land of destruction [έκαναν γης μαδιάμ]‘.
Heraklion (Irakleio)
State/public/political property
- In Herakleion, the capital of the southern Greek island of Crete, youths smashed the windows of the court on Justice Avenue.
- They Molotov cocktailed police jeeps.
- They damaged, ‘ransacked‘ the office of PASOK MP Vasilis Kegkeroglou.
- And they did the same to Manolis Stratakis.
It is unclear whether the MPs’ offices and two other public offices were ransacked, or whether the MPs’ offices were the public offices…
Pics just in from ransacked MPs office in Heraklion #Crete #Greece yfrog.com/esuvxnoj yfrog.com/h3u65yyj—
Jasmine Malone (@JasmineFM) February 12, 2012
Correction on #Crete – public offices, not MPs. Rioters rumoured to be heading to tax office #Greece yfrog.com/esuvxnoj—
Jasmine Malone (@JasmineFM) February 12, 2012
@IrateGreek Definitely two Pasok MP offices ransacked in Heraklion #Crete—
Jasmine Malone (@JasmineFM) February 12, 2012
Patras
State/public/political property
In the larger, western city of Patras, masked youths Molotov cocktailed an unidentified political office.
Private property
- The masked youths also Molotov cocktailed a car.
- And they smashed a shop’s windows.
Thessaloniki
Sky News’ Robert Nisbet (@RobNisbetSky) reported ‘extensive‘ violence and damage in Thessaloniki.
Youths tore the protective boards off banks and shops on Mitropoleos Street, and smashed their security cameras. Still, others disapproved.
Banks under attack. Ppl disapproving #skg #12fgr #greece #rbnews—
spyros gkelis (@northaura) February 12, 2012
Banks
A surprised/suspicious Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) reported that, at one point, a protester with ‘no hood nothing [to cover his face]‘ ‘magically’ found a pick axe (casually left at a building site) with which to ‘smash [a] bank‘.
1 point one protester took pick axe from construction site to attack bank, no hood nothing @teacherdude was called roufianoi #12fgr #skg—
Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) February 12, 2012
During protest some kid crosses street to construction site where magically he finds a pick axe to smash bank. Seemed very odd to me #12fgr—
Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) February 12, 2012
- Proton Bank was attacked.
- ProBank (on Mitropoleos) burned (see photo below).
- Masked people smashed the front window of First Business Bank (and tried but failed to set fire to it).
- Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) showed ‘damage‘ to an unnamed bank in Thessaloniki (see photo below).
Φωτιά στην probank Μητροπόλεως #12fgr #rbnews http://t.co/mvIqqWB0—
(@akatzou) February 12, 2012
Damage to bank from attack #SKG #12fgr #Greece http://t.co/vOFpcubZ—
Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) February 12, 2012
Other commercial property
- The same masked people damaged a neighbouring travel agent.
- A ‘posh restaurant got smashed to pieces‘; Anthony Verias tweeted that it was the Electra Palace (and its chairs got smashed).
Volos
State/public/political property
- Volos’s town hall was first occupied then set on fire, ‘burned [καίγεται]‘.
- Its ‘tax office has been looted‘, and its files ‘destroyed’, ‘burned [έκαψαν φακέλους]‘.
Banks
In the central city of Volos, the Eurobank (on Iasonas Street) burned; and the fire so weakened it that it ‘collapsed [[κ]ατέρρευσε]’.
Video from Volos of bank burning youtube.com/watch?v=iHMlnb… #12fgr #Greece via @secretlyadog—
Tim Hardy (@bc_tmh) February 12, 2012
Destructive tactics
I just wanted to note that there are also tactical fires to disperse tear gas; and there are burning/burned-out bin barricades. Rioters smashed public squares’ and ‘‘luxury hotels, banks and department stores” marble architecture in order to . They do cause damage/destruction; but their aim is protection from chemical or physical attack. (Hat tip, Fani Angelou (@angeloufani) and Spyros Gkelis (@northaura) for their links to the tweets below.)
Αριστοτελους τώρα instagr.am/p/G6sNiWL–F/—
George Axas (@GeorgeAxass) February 12, 2012
Many fires still burning in center #skg police out of sight for now #12fgr #greece http://t.co/w5SZcMh1—
Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) February 12, 2012
Violence against foreigners and/or journalists; and risky business
(Mashing-up two of his tweets) the BBC’s Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) noted that ‘nationalist blokes’ ‘attacked [his BBC team] for being “German” (!) – all is calm now, minus a microphone.’ Fortunately, ‘ordinary youth calmed attackers down; only mic damaged.’ ‘This is why very few media go in crowds.’ ‘W[oul]d help if we were not [the] only [people] here.’
As another BBC news team’s cameraman, Tony Smith (@TonyNewsCamera), noted, ‘[i]t’s lucky there are numerous balconies around #syntagma… or it would be [a] dangerous place to report‘. Paul Mason ‘did not see a single other news crew on streets amid 10ks of ppl and 3 hrs on street’.
(That’s why you see a light show at demonstrations – demonstrators use green laser pens to prevent journalists seeing, photographing and videoing.)
Mason’s reporting was worth reading in and of itself:
@NaxosMinator BBC logos not help with masked demonstrators. Running away seems to work—
Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) February 12, 2012
Citizens, too, are warned not to video:
1/2 way thru this video of police attack u can hear some1 telling me not to shoot video; yah not easy to get out info youtu.be/ZmON1ANvccg—
Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) February 12, 2012
There is also incidental injury: one photojournalist was hit by a petrol bomb.
Unanswered questions
I do not know whether they are using the words interchangeably, or whether they are distinguishing between violence against persons and destruction of property; but Paul Mason considered last night’s violence not too bad, ‘not worse‘ than last summer’s outburst of anger; whereas Stratos Safioleas deemed the destruction exceptional, ‘unprecedented‘.
My assessment of tonight in Athens: a) violence not worse than 26 June. 3 big fires still burning. Across Greece reports of occupations…—
Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) February 12, 2012
Skai TV shows scenes of unprecedented destruction from fires in #Athens ow.ly/i/smiB #Greece—
Stratos Safioleas (@stratosathens) February 12, 2012
Do a constant, small group (or mix of groups) commit the violence/destruction, regardless of circumstances? Or does it genuinely show public anger, frustration, exasperation? The Minister of Citizen Protection, Christos Papoutsis (who resigned in the middle of the chaos) suspected shadowy forces:
Do you think that 40 fires can have been accidents? [Or do] you think that they were caused by organised para-state actors?
[Εσείς αντιλαμβάνεστε ότι 40 πυρκαγιές μπορεί να ήταν τυχαίες; Νομίζετε ότι προκλήθηκαν από το οργανωμένο παρακράτος όπως λέγεται;]
Even the police deduced an “‘organized plan’ to destroy Athens“.
Then again, it benefits the government (and the political classes more broadly) to dismiss public outrage as the work of agents provocateurs (or trouble-making kids).
Yet Papoutsis may not have been wrong. I am not saying that all of the destructive acts were false flag attacks; however…
Greek anarchists with police boots!!!!!! This people burned Athens!!!!!!!!!! http://t.co/HFKmIbqN—
Negoglou Tasos (@NegoglouTasos) February 13, 2012
And finally…
For some, it was a spectator sport:
Onlookers taking photos during burning&looting #12fgr #riots in #Athens #Greece near Acropolis #Syntagma #mikromoupony http://t.co/wnIPUWuC—
K. Papamichalopoulos (@MilitaryRaiden) February 13, 2012
And while all this was going on, this was the scene in the cafe in parliament:
The cafe/ lounge area in the Greek parliament as Athens is being burned outside
p.twimg.com/Alegmw9CQAAoP4…—
Panayiotis (@Panayioti_) February 12, 2012
Method
I got a lot of information from friends, colleagues and other people I follow on Twitter; and I searched Twitter’s complete timelines for,
- 12fgr καίγεται/καίγονται
- 12fgr έκαψε/έκαψαν
- 12fgr βλάβη/ζημιά
- 12fgr έβλαψε/έβλαψαν/ζημίωσε/ζημίωσαν
- 12fgr καταστροφή/κατεστραμμένος/κατεστραμμένοι/κατεστραμμένη/κατεστραμμένες/κατεστραμμένο/κατεστραμμένα
- 12fgr κατέστρεψε/κατέστρεψαν/καταστράφηκε/καταστράφηκαν
- 12fgr φωτιές
- 12fgr φωτιές
- [anything on] Αγρίνιο
- Athens, burned
- Athens, burning [which was annoying, because there were hundreds of wholly uninformative tweets that 'Athens is burning' or 'Athens, Greece is burning'; Twitter even broke under the weight of them, so I couldn't see anything earlier than 10pm UK time, 12th February 2012, 12am Greek time, 13th February 2012]
- Athens, damage
- Athens, damaged
- Athens, destroyed
- Athens, destruction
- Athens, fire [at which point, I daydreamed of an "-idiot" filter; I could not retrieve anything earlier than 3am UK time, 5am Greek time, 13th February 2012]
- Athens, fires
- Greece, burned
- not Greece, burning [see: Athens, burning]
- Greece, damage
- Greece, damaged
- Greece, destroyed
- Greece, destruction
- not Greece, fire [see: Athens, fire]
- Greece, fires
- Corfu/Kerkyra, burned
- Corfu/Kerkyra, burning
- Corfu/Kerkyra, damage
- Corfu/Kerkyra, damaged
- Corfu/Kerkyra, destroyed
- Corfu/Kerkyra, destruction
- Corfu/Kerkyra, fire
- Corfu/Kerkyra, fires
- [anything on] Herkaleion/Irakleio/Ηράκλειο
- [anything on] Patra/Πάτρα/Patras/Πάτρας [I did not find much about the 12th; however, I did learn that, on the morning of the 11th, in Patra(s), about 30 masked people looted Carrefour and distributed their goods in the local market (λαϊκή αγορά)]
- Thessaloniki, burned
- Thessaloniki, burning
- Thessaloniki, damage
- Thessaloniki, damaged
- Thessaloniki, destroyed
- Thessaloniki, destruction
- Thessaloniki, fire
- Thessaloniki, fires
- Volos, burned
- Volos, burning
- Volos, damage
- Volos, damaged
- Volos, destroyed
- Volos, destruction
- Volos, fire
- Volos, fires
